Heritage Welcomes New Board Members

Heritage University’s Board of Directors recently welcomed five new members: George Armendariz, a businessman who’s worked in Europe, South America and the United States; Mimi Gardner Gates, art historian, museum director, philanthropist and educator with deep ties to the art world; Michael Guidon, a private wealth advisor with a long-standing commitment to education; Phil Rigdon, a Yakama tribal member who has been managing natural resources in the Yakima Valley for more than 20 years; and Gail Weaver, a regional leader in the healthcare industry.

“These five new board members bring a wealth of experience to Heritage,” said Dr. John Bassett, president. “They are passionate about higher education, passionate about the students here at Heritage and committed to ensuring that every student gets the education and experiences they need to build enriching careers after they graduate.”

“We are very pleased to have five new board members representing different backgrounds, skill sets and expertise joining the Heritage Board,” said Rick Pinnell, chair of the board of directors. “It is important for us to have very diverse board members—diverse geographically so we can tell our stories throughout the Northwest; diverse skill sets to help us deal with many different issues; and diversity of education, cultures, races, political slants and interests. It make us stronger and better prepared to deal with the challenges that today’s universities face, and it makes us better able to serve our mission and the needs of our students.”

Heritage University’s Board of Directors is comprised of 25 volunteer directors and the university president. New directors are voted into service for three-year terms by the sitting board.

George ArmendarizArmendariz spent 12 years as an executive of Brunswick Corporation in its marine division until his retirement in 2012. Prior to that he was an executive at First Interstate Bank where he ran banking operations in Rio de Janerio and Buenos Aires before moving to Seattle to serve as vice president for international business. Today he is the Chief Executive of Nordic Tugs Inc., board of directors of Plaza Bank, a financial institution he helped found, and he sits on the board of The Martinez Foundation, a non-profit organization founded by former Seattle Mariner Edgar Martinez and his wife, Holli. Armendariz holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Texas Christian University.

Mimi Gardner GatesGardner Gates has had a long and distinguished career in the arts, including serving as the director of the Seattle Art Museum for 15 years until her retirement in 2009. Before that, she was director of the Yale University Art Gallery. Gardner Gates was the president of the Association of Art Museums, chaired the Federal Indemnity Panel at the National Endowment for the Arts and served as a member of the advisory board for the Getty Leadership Institute. She is an adjunct faculty member for the University of Washington art department and serves on the boards of directors for UW's Jackson School of International Studies, the Northwest African American Museum and Copper Canyon Press. Gardner Gates holds a Ph.D. in art history from Yale University.

Michael GuidonGuidon is a certified public accountant and chartered financial analyst. He works as a private wealth advisor for the Seattle office of Goldman, Sachs & Co., a position he's held since 2007. Prior to that, he was a senior accountant for Deloitte & Touche, LLP. Guidon serves on the board of directors for The Pipeline Safety Trust and is a member of the Western Washington University Foundation's Financial Management Scholarship Fund advisory board. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting and Finance from Western Washington University.

Philip RigdonRigdon is a Yakama tribal member and the deputy director of the Yakama Nation Department of Natural Resources. He serves as the president of the Intertribal Timber Council and sits on several boards of directors for organizations that deal with natural resource management. He earned a Master of Forestry from Yale University and a Bachelor of Science in Forestry from the University of Washington.

Gail Weaver
Weaver retired as the vice president for Continuum of Care at Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital in 2012. While there, she helped to establish the Women's Health Center as well as The Children's Village, a center for children with special healthcare needs. She is now a health policy consultant and has worked for organizations like the migrant and tribal Head Start programs. Gail is an active community volunteer who has served on numerous boards and was recently appointed to the Yakima Health District board. She holds a Master of Science in Communication Disorders from the University of Wisconsin.